The NFB is back at the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) with the Quebec premiere of The Geographies of DAR, Monique LeBlanc's evocative and captivating portrait of renowned New Brunswick author David Adams Richards. Co-produced with CinImage Productions, the feature film probes the profound connection between the writer's personal experiences and the harsh-yet-beautiful landscapes of Miramichi, the eastern Canada region that shaped his storytelling. The FIFA presentation will mark the film's first screening with French subtitles. LeBlanc will be returning to FIFA again, after her moving and lyrical Higher Than Flames Will Go had its world premiere there in 2020. The 42nd FIFA takes place from March 14 to 24 at venues in Montreal and Quebec City, as well as online on ARTS.FILM from March 22 to 31.
In 2023, The Geographies of DAR screened at the AfterWords Literary Festival in Halifax and at Fredericton's Silver Wave Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Documentary Feature. In 2024, it was shown at the Belleville Downtown DocFest. After FIFA, it will be screening throughout the Atlantic region in April before launching online on nfb.ca at a later date.
Quote
"David Adams Richards is a formidable writer whose contribution to Canadian literature we, sadly enough, may only truly appreciate once he's gone. He is a generous and brilliant man whose unwavering belief in the greatness of the human soul is truly admirable, especially in these tumultuous times." - Monique LeBlanc, filmmaker
What the media are saying
"The visuals are stunning…. A deeply moving film." - Sylvie Mousseau, Acadie Nouvelle
"It's an introspection…. We truly enter into the soul of this man. It's achingly poetic. We feel the beauty of this immense solitude, this rural isolation. Well done!" - Jimena Vergara, ICI Radio-Canada Acadie
About the film
The Geographies of DAR by Monique LeBlanc (75 min)
Produced by Monique LeBlanc for CinImage Productions and Christine Aubé and Rohan Fernando for the NFB
